From 21 to 27 October 2018 marks Queensland State Education Week, with this year’s theme being ‘celebrating our community’, and on Friday 26 October 2018 we are celebrating World Teachers’ Day. I would like to acknowledge the outstanding teaching and leadership that is happening every day in school communities around the nation.

I hope you enjoy this brief summary of news and research in education and, as always, welcome any feedback about topics of interest that you might like to see QELi explore in greater detail.

Neil McDonald
Chief Executive Officer, QELi

Reducing the prevalence of bullying and cyberbullying

Bullying (and the more recent scourge of cyberbullying) is a community-wide issue but its impact is felt heavily in schools. This week Queensland’s Anti Cyberbullying Taskforce released its Adjust our Settings report, which was informed by consultation with experts, students, and the broader community and proposes a community-wide approach addressing bullying amongst young people. The report acknowledges that schools play an important part in reducing the prevalence of bullying and cyberbullying but also concedes that it is a complex and time-consuming role for school leaders. Recommendations for educators include evidence-based whole-school programs, clear guidance to school leaders around their responsibilities, strengthened preparation for pre-service teachers, and a range of system supports. The Queensland Premier has welcomed the report and accepted all recommendations, while efforts continue to address bullying at a national level, including those led by national eSafety Commissioner, who has called for cyberbullying prevention to be on the national curriculum.

The potential for Gonski 2.0 to drive improvement

This recent blog by Australian Council for Educational Research CEO Geoff Masters comments on the potential for Gonski 2.0 to drive improvement in the reading, mathematics, and science levels of 15-year olds. Masters comments on the learner-focused nature of the Gonski 2.0 recommendations and discusses how targeted teaching to account for students’ different learning needs can be hampered by constraints imposed by schooling systems. He also argues that high-performing systems create the conditions necessary to address different attainment levels, and notes that these conditions for learning success are reflected in the Gonski 2.0 report.

Identification and fast-tracking of promising teachers into principalship

With education systems in Australia and around the world looking to attract larger and more qualified pools for school leadership positions, it is interesting to see growing support in the UK for the identification and fast-tracking of promising teachers into principalship. This article refers to comments made by the Schools Minister and the head of education standards watchdog Ofsted about the need to challenge traditional succession approaches and support talented young teachers to be promoted more swiftly.

Professional development program for early childhood education and care staff

Despite the wealth of research showing the importance of high-quality education in the early years, there has been a shortage of evidence around the programs and interventions that have greatest impact in terms of lifting quality. It is encouraging to read in this article by the Educator that a recent study by the University of Wollongong in partnership with the NSW Department of Education found one evidence-based, in-service professional development program for early childhood education and care staff to bring significant improvement in literacy, numeracy, and socio-emotional development for children.